Adrian David Sampson (born October 7, 1991) is an American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

for the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB). He previously played in MLB for the

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West division. The team joined the American League ...

and Texas Rangers, and in the

KBO League The KBO League (), officially the Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League, is the highest level league of baseball in South Korea. The KBO League was founded with six franchises in 1982 and is the most popular sports league in South Korea. The Kia Tigers ar ...

for the

Lotte Giants The Lotte Giants ( ko, 롯데 자이언츠) are a South Korean professional baseball team based in Busan. They are a member of the KBO League. The Lotte Giants are owned by Lotte Corporation, which also owns the Chiba Lotte Marines of Nippon Pro ...

High school and college

Sampson attended Skyline High School in Sammamish, Washington. In July 2009, Sampson had

Tommy John surgery Ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, colloquially known as Tommy John surgery (TJS), is a surgical graft procedure where the ulnar collateral ligament in the medial elbow is replaced with either a tendon from elsewhere in the patient's bo ...

, which caused him to miss his senior season. After not receiving any

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional pl ...

scholarships, Sampson attended Bellevue College. After going 4–2 with a 2.36

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

(ERA), Sampson was drafted by the Florida Marlins in the 16th round of the

2011 Major League Baseball draft The 2011 Major League Baseball draft was held from June 6 through June 8, 2011, from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. The Pittsburgh Pirates selected Gerrit Cole out of the University of California, Los Angeles, with the first ...

. He did not sign with the Marlins and returned to Bellevue. In 2012, he went 13–0 with a 1.36 ERA and 107 strikeouts.

Professional career

Pittsburgh Pirates

Sampson was drafted by the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

in the fifth round of the

2012 Major League Baseball draft The 2012 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft was held from June 4 through June 6, 2012, from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. The Houston Astros, with the first overall pick, selected Carlos Correa from the Puerto R ...

and signed with the Pirates. He made his professional debut that season with the State College Spikes. He started nine of 11 games and had a 2.95 ERA. Sampson played the 2013 season with the Bradenton Marauders, finishing 5-8 with a 5.14 ERA in 140 innings. He started the 2014 season with the Altoona Curve. In July he was selected to play in the Eastern League All-Star Game, but was forced to sit out the game by the Pirates. In August he was promoted to the Triple-A

Indianapolis Indians The Indianapolis Indians are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They are located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and play their home games at Victory Field, which open ...

after posting a 2.55 ERA with Altoona. Overall, he went 11–6 with a 2.96 ERA and 109 strikeouts.

Seattle Mariners

On July 31, 2015, Sampson was traded to the

for

J. A. Happ James Anthony Happ (born October 19, 1982) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies, Houston Astros, Toronto Blue Jays, Seattle Mariners, Pittsburgh Pirates, New Y ...

. Sampson made his Major League debut on June 18, 2016 against the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...

, relieving the injured

Wade Miley Wade Allen Miley (born November 13, 1986) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. The Arizona Diamondbacks selected Miley in the first round of the 2008 MLB draft. He made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut with the ...

. Scheduled to replace Miley in the rotation, Sampson suffered a torn flexor tendon while warming up before his first major league start five days later against the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

, which required season-ending surgery later that month.

Texas Rangers

On November 2, 2016, the Texas Rangers claimed Sampson off of waivers. In 2017, Sampson rehabbed from the torn flexor tendon injury and made eight minor league appearances that season, going 2-2 with a 3.45 ERA in 31.1 innings with the

AZL Rangers The Arizona Complex League Rangers are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Texas Rangers, competing in the Arizona Complex League of Minor League Baseball. The team plays its home games at Surprise Stadium in Surprise, Arizona. The team is composed ...

, Down East Wood Ducks, and the

Round Rock Express The Round Rock Express are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers. They are located in Round Rock, Texas, and play their home games at the Dell Diamond. The team is named ...

. Sampson spent the first 5 months of the 2018 season with the AAA

, going 8-4 with a 3.77 ERA in 126.2 innings. Sampson was recalled to the Texas Rangers on September 4, and on September 11, 2018 Sampson made his first career MLB start. Sampson finished 2018 with a 0-3 record and a 4.30 ERA in 23 major league innings. Sampson was non-tendered by Texas after the 2018 season, and became a free agent on November 30, 2018. On December 27, 2018, Sampson re-signed with the Rangers on a minor league contract with an invite to major league spring training. Sampson was assigned to the AAA

Nashville Sounds The Nashville Sounds are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee, and are named for the ci ...

on March 28, 2019. On April 1, 2019, the Rangers purchased Sampson's contract and recalled him to the major league roster. On June 8, he recorded his first career complete game versus the

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The te ...

. Sampson finished the 2019 season going 6–8 with a 5.89 ERA over 125.1 innings.

Lotte Giants

On November 22, 2019, Sampson signed one-year contract with the

of the

. He was 9-12 with a 5.40 ERA. He became a free agent following the season.

Chicago Cubs

On May 10, 2021, Sampson signed a minor league contract with the

organization. With the Triple-A

Iowa Cubs The Iowa Cubs are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. They are located in Des Moines, Iowa, and are named for their Major League Baseball (MLB) affiliate. The ...

, he was 4-5 with a 4.96 ERA. On August 18, his contract was selected by the Cubs. Sampson pitched to a 2.80 ERA with 28 strikeouts in 10 appearances with Chicago. On November 5, Sampson was outrighted off of the 40-man roster. He returned to the organization, signing a minor league contract on March 19, 2022. On May 10, he was designated for assignment, and subsequently claimed via waivers by the

three days later. Though Sampson was assigned to the Tacoma Rainiers, he did not play for the team before being designated for assignment a second time on May 21. He cleared waivers and was sent outright to Triple-A on May 24, but rejected the outright assignment a day later and elected free agency. On May 31, 2022, Sampson re-signed with the Cubs on a minor league contract. On June 16, Sampson was selected back to the active roster. He made 21 appearances (19 starts) for Chicago in 2022, pitching to a 4-5 record and 3.11 ERA with 73 strikeouts in 104.1 innings of work. On November 18, 2022, Sampson signed a one-year, $1.9 million contract with the Cubs, avoiding arbitration. In spring training in 2023, Sampson competed with Hayden Wesneski for the fifth starter role behind

Marcus Stroman Marcus Earl Stroman (born May 1, 1991) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played in MLB for the Toronto Blue Jays and New York Mets. Stroman is listed at , making him on ...

, Jameson Taillon, Drew Smyly, and

Justin Steele Justin Carl Steele (born July 11, 1995) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (MLB). Amateur career Steele attended George County High School in Lucedale, Mississippi. He was drafted by the C ...

. He was optioned to Triple-A Iowa on March 25, after manager David Ross announced Wesneski had won the job.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sampson, Adrian 1991 births Living people Sportspeople from Redmond, Washington Baseball players from Washington (state) Major League Baseball pitchers American expatriate baseball players in South Korea Seattle Mariners players Texas Rangers players Lotte Giants players Chicago Cubs players Bellevue Bulldogs baseball players State College Spikes players Bradenton Marauders players Altoona Curve players Indianapolis Indians players Tacoma Rainiers players Scottsdale Scorpions players Arizona League Rangers players Down East Wood Ducks players Round Rock Express players Iowa Cubs players